Absence of Warmth
by Alex Glaven
Summary: Akiko The sequel to Porcelain. Slash fic containing AlexFelix. Don't like it? Don't read it.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue this, but then...well...a lot of people seemed to really want it.  
Now, for you people who DIDN'T read the summary, this is SLASH. That means guys kissing guys and other such things. If you don't like it, then I suggest you hit the back button and read other fics. Don't try flaming me, because I will ignore you.  
Disclaimer: If I owned Golden Sun, Picard's name would be Picard in the English version, Garet would be more of a main character, and there would be lots of little slash bunnies when regarding Alex and Felix. ^_^  
  
Chapter 1  
  
I didn't want to open my eyes.  
  
Something warm was settled gently against my cheek, soft fingers brushing the skin like the sunlight colored red through my eyelids. For the first time in months, everything felt...peaceful...serene...almost ethereal...  
  
Was I...dead?  
  
I remembered the lighthouse, I remembered Saturos and Menardi falling into the beacon, Sheba's plunge to the sea, and leaping from the parapet.  
  
After that...there was nothing.  
  
Was it entirely possible that I was...dead?  
  
The hand moved away, and cold replaced the warmth in its absence.  
  
"Felix?"  
  
I opened one eye at the sound of my name. Jenna's worried face was over mine, surrounded by a halo of sunlight. Somewhere I could hear waves crashing and the call of sea birds.  
  
"J-jenna?" I wondered briefly if she had died, too.  
  
"Oh, good," she breathed a sigh of relief. "You're alright. I was really worried, Felix, I really was."  
  
She started crying, and I reached up to brush her tears away. I realized that someone had removed my gloves...  
  
I sat up, so abruptly that Jenna nearly fell over. "...Why am I not dead?"  
  
"Did you really want to die that badly?" I looked to the owner of the voice.  
  
Alex was standing behind me, arms folded, a slightly amused expression on his face. A breeze tugged at his long, unbound blue hair, shorter strands brushing against the porcelain skin of his face and neck.  
  
"A-Alex..."   
  
"Good to see you, too," he smiled, but it never reached his eyes colored like ice. They stayed distant and cold.  
  
"You saved my life."  
  
Sheba's voice caused me to turn around. The young Jupiter Adept was kneeling in front of me, tears of gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you so much, Felix. If you hadn't of saved me..."  
  
I didn't actually know what she was talking about, so I ignored her.  
  
"You must have gotten a hold on Sheba, seen Idejima and swam here," Kraden sounded thoughtful.  
  
Had I? Had I really?  
  
"I don't know, I don't remember anything after..." I trailed off.  
  
They all gave me strange looks, with the exception of Alex who was staring out to sea.  
  
"Where are we?" I changed the subject.  
  
"Idejima, it broke off from Gondowan and started floating," Alex explained. "And it looks like we might just hit land."  
  
Idejima broke off from Gondowan after the Venus Lighthouse was lit...after...Saturos and Menardi had died...  
  
Which meant, I was free...we were all...free...  
  
"And it looks like-"  
  
"Look! It's an island!" Jenna squealed, bouncing up and down and pointing where Alex was looking. "We'll hit it and then we can get off of this stupid place!"  
  
"I think the word you're searching for is 'continent', Jenna," Alex put one hand on my sister's shoulder to calm her down.   
  
"And it looks like we're going to pass to the North of it, anyway," Sheba pointed out.   
  
"I think Sheba's right," Kraden admitted. "We're not going to make it."  
  
"NO!" Jenna yelled, stomping her foot. "No no no no no! I'm NOT staying on this island until we starve to death! We'd better hit that continent or...or..."  
  
"You'll do something drastic?" Alex supplied.  
  
"Yeah! That!"  
  
I stood up, wavered for a moment, then started walking towards Alex. I wanted him to hold me...I wanted to make sure everything was real... "Alex...I..."  
  
And then I froze. There was a wall of water coming at us.  
  
****  
  
Second chapter coming soon. 


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, first off to Delusive Longan, this is the sequel to Porcelain. So, if that last little statement seemed odd, it's probably because you haven't read the first fic.  
  
  
  
Anyway, here we go!  
  
  
  
Absence of Warmth  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
Gallons and gallons of water washed over me, pounding down on my unprotected body, filling my nose, ears, eyes and mouth. I couldn't see, I couldn't breath. The water picked me up like it was a living being, and threw me back down on the ground like a doll. Red and black flooded my vision, and I went down...down...down...down...  
  
  
  
"Alex isn't here," I heard someone saying over the ringing in my head.   
  
  
  
"Serves him right, I hope he was washed out to sea," another, higher voice replied.  
  
  
  
"Sheba, don't say that," a third voice scolded.  
  
  
  
I opened my eyes to see the blue of the sky. Sitting up was a struggle, but I managed somehow. Kraden, Jenna, and Sheba were all sitting near me on a patch of what looked like mostly dry sand. "Gone? Alex is gone?"  
  
  
  
They all started, then looked at me. After a few minutes, Jenna nodded.   
  
  
  
No.   
  
  
  
"We have to find him," I stood up, and nearly had to sit down again. "We have to find him. We can't leave him to die. We can't."  
  
  
  
"Felix, there's nothing we can do," Kraden told me, very softly. "We woke up just a little while before you. He may have gone into the next town to...find a boat or something."  
  
  
  
"He must have healed us before he left," Jenna speculated.  
  
  
  
"Come on," I walked over and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. "We're going to find him. Now."  
  
  
  
****  
  
  
  
I stared at my cup of tea. Had that really only been two weeks ago? It felt like years...far too many years.  
  
  
  
"What are you thinking about?"  
  
  
  
I looked up and met the gaze of yellow cat eyes. Picard grinned at me, ever looking like a feline. That was the first impression I had gotten when I had seen the Lemurian, that he might as well have been born a cat, with his effortless, fluid grace and his uncanny appearance. His personality couldn't have been more different. After he had first decided to join our quest, he had been fiercely loyal and a wonderful friend. So very different from Alex...and yet somehow...I kept seeing similarities between the two. It must have been the long blue hair...  
  
  
  
"I was thinking about Lemuria," I said, hoping he wouldn't catch my lie. For being a Mercury Adept, he had the odd ability to read people. "I was...wondering what it would be like."  
  
  
  
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I don't know how I would explain it to you, there's no place in the world like Lemuria. All I can say is...it used to be much more beautiful."  
  
  
  
We sat in silence for a moment, a silence that was interrupted by Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden coming down the stairs.  
  
  
  
"C'mon, you," Jenna tapped me very lightly on top of the head with her staff. Sheba did the same for Picard. "We need to get going. Next stop is Lemuria, after all."  
  
  
  
I leaned back in my chair and grinned at her. "But I thought you liked Champa."  
  
  
  
"Um...no," Jenna shook her head. Sheba giggled, and tapped Picard again. The Lemurian grabbed her staff. She started trying to pull the staff away. Picard pulled, grabbed Sheba around the waist, and started tickling her.  
  
  
  
"No! No!" she shouted inbetween shrieks of laughter. "Stop it, Picard! You're so MEAN!"  
  
  
  
"C'mon," I groaned, climbing to my feet. "Our next stop is Lemuria, after all."  
  
  
  
"Alright, alright," Picard released Sheba and stood up, dwarfing the young Jupiter Adept.  
  
  
  
The door opened, and the strong smell of saline greeted me. Champa was built mainly upon docks jutting out from the barren rock of the shore. Boats provided homes for small families that had no wish to live in the carved out rock tunnels. It was no small wonder that Briggs had been forced to steal for him people.  
  
  
  
We headed down one of the narrow ramps connecting docks, Jenna shielding her nose against the strong stench of seaweed.   
  
  
  
*And soon we'll be back in our boat...and onto Lemuria...*  
  
  
  
"Ah, Felix."  
  
  
  
I spun around, nearly slipping on the moss covered wood of the ramp. I knew that voice...better than my own...  
  
  
  
Alex was standing there, his arms folded, blue hair rippling in the salty breeze. He was regarded us cooly, like we were pawns in some game set up merely to amuse him.  
  
  
  
"Alex..."  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
A bit on the short side, but next chapter will be fun! 


End file.
